Valerie Smith

Valerie Smith is a founding member of the Pussycats, the fictional rock band at the center of Archie Comics' Josie and the Pussycats series, debuting in 1970. She is one of Josie's closest bandmates and friends.

Debuting in 1970's Josie and the Pussycats #48, Valerie Smith is a Silver Age creation of Dick Malmgren and Dan DeCarlo who has proven herself a genuine fixture of the Archie universe — still appearing as recently as 2024, a run stretching over five decades that speaks for itself. She shares her pages with the likes of Melody Valentine, Josie McCoy, Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, and Veronica Lodge, placing her squarely at the heart of Archie Comics' most beloved ensemble. With a collector-significant key issue to her name and appearances across Josie and the Pussycats, Archie's Pals 'n' Gals Double Digest, and Archie itself, Valerie is far more than a supporting player — she's a enduring presence whose longevity across more than fifty years makes her one of the quietly essential characters in the publisher's history.